"Okay, so how about the albums that surprised you the most in 2012?"
Let's take some of the focus from the negative side of things in regards to disappointment in music this year, and talk about some things we really liked that surprised us.
For me, it has to be Nas' Life Is Good. In 2012, I honestly wasn't expecting Nas to drop what I honestly now consider my favorite album of his behind Illmatic. Can't believe how much play this has gotten. I hope Jay-Z is paying attention and gets off this piggy backing of Kanye's steez and brings it back a bit, because right now I'd rather hear a new song from Nas than Jay-Z, which I have never felt in my life as a hip hop fan (circa 1999/2000).
I'd say all other albums that dropped were either the quality I expected them to be, whether good or bad (Brother Ali, Kendrick) or underwhelming (Lupe, GOOD Music, KRIT). There were a few that surprised me that I wasn't expecting, only because I wasn't expecting them at all (that Macklemore album, for one).
1. "hands down, that kendrick Lamar" In response to Reply # 0
I went in not feeLing nothing from bLack hippy camp at aLL. And I had heard kendrick on a coupLe features-- never thought anything of it and never considered checking for the kid.
So when I was seeing aLL the hype about the new record and was Like, Let me see what this is about... Man. I can't teLL u the Last time I Listened to an aLbum this thoroughLy. Its been some years. I've jammed the shit out of this aLbum and can't wait to faded&throw it on some more. There are onLy 3 songs on the reguLar retaiL edition of the aLbum that I deLeted & don't mess with. (The cLub song at the beginning of the record, and the 2 songs in the middLe of the record callede 'good kid' and the one caLLed 'mad city')
Kendrick set the bar for this new generation of rhymers and record makers. His aLbum is the one to top going forward..
That is the aLbum that surprised me the most in 2012 and probabLy since 2005
2. "orbital 'wonky' for the reasons you gave for 'life is good'" In response to Reply # 0
i already talked about it a little in the electronic 2012 thread so i'll spare everyone. i always like nas albums so i wasn't surprised at all about how good it is, but i didn't anticipate the sound of the album, and it's probably my favorite album of the year.
cat power's 'sun' was pretty surprising, and i liked it on first listen, but i haven't spent enough time with it to say much more. it seems that will be one of the sleeper albums of the year for folks.
i've had it for over a year now, but since it's officially a 2012 album, i'll add that i was pleasantly surprised how good the hectic zeniths self-titled album is. i could explain, but i'll leave it that if it didn't feel like a 2011 album to me, i would say it's my album of the year, and you all should at least listen to it since it was made by one of our own (amplifya).
3. "a few looking at my last.fm" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Oct-30-12 10:45 AM by amplifya7
Aesop Rock - Skelethon - still need to listen more, but surprised by his production...sounds just as good as El-P/Blockhead to me.
Burial - Kindred: I expect anything Burial to be dope, but he outdid himself.
Fiona Apple: Without Jon Brion and my not liking retail version of Extraordinary Machine as much as the unreleased, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I think it could be her best album, or at least tied
Holy Other: Sounded more synthetic and less lo-fi/field recordingy/distortion than I was expecting, but on repeat listens I like it a lot
Bat For Lashes: The song that got me hooked on her was "Glass" which is totally over the top in the midevil sounding "big" live/acoustic random instruments, so when I first heard the new album being a bit more minimalist and kate-bushy in aesthetics I wasn't sure how to feel, but after repeat listens the songs grew on me a lot. So not surprised that I like it, but surprised by the direction she took
Saltillo - Monocyte: came back with an album probably just as good as the first one
Also, all those Night Shift Collective guys I was posting about...specifically Stumbleine is great to me
6. "Still can't get past Aesop's voice/flow" In response to Reply # 3
>Aesop Rock - Skelethon - still need to listen more, but >surprised by his production...sounds just as good as >El-P/Blockhead to me.
Only album I heard from him that I've been able to get through is the HMM album from last year. Think I've finally come to the conclusion that he's just not for me.
4. "Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Pamyu Pamyu Revolution " In response to Reply # 0 Tue Oct-30-12 10:38 AM by Steve O Tron v2
I love Nakata's production, but I thought Kyary was going to be a flavor of the month/one-trick-pony act that I would get tired of quickly. Instead it might be my favorite album of the year. Pop crack music.
"Pamyu Pamyu Revolution" surprised me as well, mostly cause I'm so use to many of the jpop acts only having hit songs off of soundtracks and putting out singles instead of full length albums...that I know of.
I only listened to it twice but it was pretty good, I still need to check Perfume & Capsule's albums for this year though.
--------- "We in here talking about later career Prince records & your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak
5. "Flatbush Zombies, only because I knew nothing of them b4" In response to Reply # 0
___________________________ OL' DIRTY BASTARD on himself: "I may curse, I may have a bad mouth, whatever whatever. I'm not that bad, yaknow'mean. Bad to y'all, I dunno how y'all... I don't give a fuck. Um, I'm a good person at heart, for real and shit.
8. "Chance the rapper 10 day mixtape" In response to Reply # 0
I heard that song "fuck you talkin about" and I thought hew as a more rappity Cheif keek drill type rapper. but I downloaded the mixtape and the dude is just a regular high school teenagers making songs about about his life no real gangsta shit just good concepts about high school life.
HE really was trollin with that what you talkin about the rest of the album ain't really like that.
the album isn't my favorite by any means from this year but it's solid...my top five for sure. it's just got some catchy tunes and that Hollywood Cemetary song makes me wanna shake my butt,so....it is what it is.
13. "Robert Glasper Experiment - Black Radio" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Oct-30-12 10:07 PM by soulsupreme
I didn't really know what to expect with this project. Outside of a D'angelo appearance it was really good album by Robert Glasper. All the covers are very dope, especially the Sade cover by Lalah Hathaway. She killed it. One of my favorite albums of 2012 along with Channel Orange, R.A.P. Music, Life Is Good and GKMC.
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